Slow cooker

Abstract

A slow cooking appliance device. The device including: a body having a base, the body receives within it a removable cooking vessel; a movable heating element supported by the base; and a lift mechanism within the base for raising and lowering the movable heating element, such that the heating element is movable between an upper position and a lowered position.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A slow cooking appliance device, the device including:
 a body having a base, the body receives within it a removable cooking vessel; 
 a movable heating element supported by the base; and 
 a lift mechanism within the base for raising and lowering the movable heating element, such that the heating element is movable between an upper position and a lowered position, 
 wherein the cooking vessel has a substantially flat floor and a side wall, and further wherein an underside of the floor includes a single heat-inhibiting circumferential groove that inhibits flow of heat to the side wall, the heat-inhibiting circumferential groove located radiantly outward of an outer edge of the heating element, and 
 wherein the heat-inhibiting circumferential groove is a circumferential indentation, a depth of the indentation extending inwardly into the underside of the floor of the cooking vessel such that a floor of the indentation forms an area of reduced thickness relative to a substantially uniform thickness of the floor of the cooking vessel. 
 
     
     
       2. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein, when the movable heating element is in the upper position, the movable heating element is substantially conductively thermally coupled to the removable cooking vessel. 
     
     
       3. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein, when the movable heating element is in the lowered position, the movable heating element defines a gap such that the removable cooking vessel is substantially heated by the movable heating element through a process of convection heating. 
     
     
       4. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lift mechanism uses a jack screw assembly to raise and lower the movable heating element. 
     
     
       5. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lift mechanism is operated by a motor that is controlled by a processor for raising and lowering the movable heating element. 
     
     
       6. The device according to  claim 5 , wherein the lift mechanism is manually operated by a movable lever that acts to raise and lower the movable heating element. 
     
     
       7. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the movable heating element substantially conforms to an underside of the vessel for enabling conductive heating there between. 
     
     
       8. The device according to  claim 1 , the device further including a temperature sensor that is in thermal communication with the vessel. 
     
     
       9. The device according to  claim 8 , the device further including a sensor plate that carries the temperature sensor, sensor plate is adapted to make thermal contact with the lower surface of the vessel floor. 
     
     
       10. The device according to  claim 8 , wherein the temperature sensor transmits a temperature signal to a processor for regulating a cooking processes. 
     
     
       11. The device according to  claim 8 , wherein the temperature sensor is located above an electric fan. 
     
     
       12. The device according to  claim 1 , the device further including an electric fan that assists convection heat transfer from the heating element. 
     
     
       13. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lift mechanism further comprises:
 a first thread carried on an inner surface of an outer ring engaged with the base, and a second thread formed on an outside surface of an inner ring, the inner ring carrying the heating element; and 
 wherein the first thread and the second thread cooperate to move the heating element between the upper position and the lowered position. 
 
     
     
       14. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat-inhibiting circumferential groove is spaced radically outwardly of the heating element.